


Breaking the Ice

by AerynB



Series: Bridging the Gaps [7]
Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Episode Related, Episode: Apple of Discord, Episode: Santa's Midnight Run, Episode: and the Heart of Darkness, F/M, Missing Scene, Pre-ship, minor Eve/Flynn ship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-04
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-07 15:21:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3176731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AerynB/pseuds/AerynB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An episode filler bridging the gap from Jacob's lack of trust in Cassandra in the early episodes of "The Horns of a Dilemma" and "The Fables of Doom," to his slightly more trusting attitudes in "Santa's Midnight Run" and "The Apple of Discord."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Breaking the Ice

**Author's Note:**

> I've used a lot of my own headcanons in this work, such as all of them (except Jenkins) living somewhere else besides the Annex. Eve and Cassandra share an apartment, and Jake and Ezekiel each live alone.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 1 reads just fine as a G-rated one-shot, but I thought up a steamy love scene for Chapter 2, hence the rating bump.

It was a few weeks after they returned from Slovakia and their adventure with the House of Refuge. Jacob arrived at the Annex early to catalogue a few more of Thompson Deter's rare book collection when he spied Cassandra asleep in one of the comfy reading chairs back in the deeper shelves. It felt rude to wake her, but she couldn't be that comfortable sleeping in the chair, with her neck crooked at such a sharp angle.

He walked over and nudged her shoulder gently. "Cassie, darlin'. Wake up."

Her eyes fluttered open like butterfly wings, then she yawned and stretched her arms high in the air. "Hey. Mmm. What time is it?"

" 'Bout 7:30. I wanted to get a jump on..." He waved the book in his hand. "Did you sleep here all night?"

Cassandra yawned again and wiped a little drool from the side of her mouth. "Mm-hmm. Musta gotten carried away in a little Galileo. The Geminid meteor shower is coming up soon. I'm looking forward to a little stargazing." She hopped up from the chair and carried her book to the desk she'd claimed as her workspace.

"I guess you told Baird where you were," Jacob said as he followed her to the other desks around the room. "She woulda called all of us looking for you."

Cassandra was sitting down at her desk and delving into another book. "Naw, she was too busy cuddling with Flynn. Eeeep." She squeaked and looked up at Jacob with wide eyes. "Please, don't tell anyone. She-- they made me promise to keep it a secret."

"Baird kicked you out of your own apartment so she could mess around with Flynn?!" Jacob couldn't believe what he was saying. "He's supposed to be finding the Library. Not shacking up with Eve."

"It wasn't like that," Cassandra argued. "They like each other. They both have tough jobs and they're taking some time off to be with each other. You know, recharge."

Jacob just shook his head. "It still isn't right, kicking you out like that."

"I appreciate your concern, but I was just fine here. I packed a few snacks, and I had access to Jenkins' tea things. It really wasn't that bad." She smiled, even if it seemed to Jacob a little forced. "Besides, it was only for one night. Oh, and please keep this to yourself. Jenkins and Ezekiel might harrass them mercilessly."

"Oh you know me. Secret is my middle name." Then Jacob finally sat at his own desk and tried to erase all the mental images of Baird and Flynn together from his brain.

* * *

They spent the day working separately, both Jenkins and Ezekiel poking their heads in now and again, but without any kind of adventures, Ezekiel's attention in the Annex could not be assured. A few hours after lunch, he called it a day and went home. Not long after that, Cassandra got a call on her phone.

"Hi, how are you?" Cassandra's voice was chipper, but Jacob couldn't hear who was on the other end.

"Oh, I slept fine here. Don't worry about it at all." He noticed her stand up and move a little deeper into the shelves.

"Nope. Your secret's still safe." There was a lengthy pause. He almost thought Cassandra had gotten far enough away or was whispering until he heard her ask, "Longer?"

Another pause. "Sure, sure. Of course it's okay. I, uh, I should probably swing by, though, and pick up a change of clothes. Don't want anyone to notice that I haven't been home." Cassandra started to walk back to her desk, straightening some piles and putting on her sweater. He couldn't be accused of eavesdropping if he could clearly hear her from where he was sitting.

But then she blushed rather deeply. "Oh, I know everything's fine. Though you didn't have to paint me a picture." A short pause. "It's ok. Well, um, I'll just ride on home and pick up some things, ok? See you soon."

"Baird?"

Cassandra didn't look up as she emptied her backpack. "Uh-huh." Then she did look up, realizing what she'd admitted and biting her lower lip. "Flynn's staying another night. You're not gonna tell, are you?"

Jacob stood up and gathered some of his things as well. "I already said I could keep a secret. I'm just thinking it'd be more comfortable if you stay over at my place the rest of the weekend."

"Really? I don't want to inconvenience you."

"It's not an inconvenience if I offer, Cassie." Part of him felt put out, but he smiled anyway, trying to put her at ease. "I've got a fully stocked kitchen with way more than just snack foods. You can bring a few books with you so you don't get bored. It'll be fine."

"Well, if you insist." Jacob just nodded back. "Okay then, sleepover it is!" And she smiled brightly back at him.

They stowed her bike in the back of his truck and drove to her place so she could pack a weekend bag. Jacob thought about following her up to say hi to Flynn and ask how things were going with the Library, but he wasn't supposed to know Flynn was here. Cassandra had promised Baird that no one else knew. As far as she was concerned, Cassie was gonna ride her bike back to the Annex on this cold, early December night. _Love blinds_ , he thought.

A few minutes later, Cassie was skipping out the door and bouncing into the truck, sporting another megawatt grin on her face. All of a sudden, he had a really bad feeling about this.

* * *

"Well, it's not much," Jake said as he unlocked the door to his apartment, "but it's got a place to lay my head at night." He adjusted Cassandra's bag on his shoulder and motioned for her to go in ahead of him. "Most of the tables, lamps, and bookshelves were leftover from the former tenant, but I got a new mattress, sofa, and recliner with part of my stipend, you know, from that first adventure."

Cassandra nodded as she continued to look around. They'd only been living in Portland a couple of months. Not much time to personalize their homes. She noticed Jake's place was as sparsely furnished as hers. They just spent so much time at the Annex. It was like he'd said, they just needed a place to lay their heads at night.

"Bedroom's through here," he said, walking through the kitchen. "You can sleep in here and I'll take the--"

"Uh-unh," Cassandra interjected, rushing to catch up with Jake. "I won't feel comfortable with that at all. That's your space, I don't want to intrude." She took her bag from his shoulder and stepped back from the door. "If you've got an extra blanket, I'll be just fine on the couch out here."

"I don't know if I can do that, Cassie. My mama raised a gentleman." He turned his flirtatious smile on her, but she'd seen it before and she knew it was meant to charm her into taking his side.

"Well, cowboy, your mama ain't here, is she?" She smiled back, as Jake laughed at her awful southern accent. "Really, it's no big deal. The couch looks plenty comfortable."

He just shrugged and headed toward the kitchen. "Who am I to argue with the little lady." He gave her a quick wink as he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a dish with something marinating inside. It smelled wonderful. "You like steak?"

Cassandra nodded and joined him in the kitchen. "What have you got for vegetables? Plus any potatoes, or rice?" She opened up the pantry and found a box of minute rice next to some instant oatmeal packets. "Oh, I love oatmeal for breakfast! Do you have honey? Mom always made mine with honey. I remember I was about 5 or 6 and Dad was teaching me square numbers, you know, two-squared, three-squared, four-squared, etc." Jake nodded back as he set the steaks on a broiler pan.

Cassandra looked over at Jake and realized she'd almost lost herself in another memory. She gathered herself and went back to measuring the rice. "Anyway, I think I associate math with breakfast smells so often because we were always doing math during or after breakfast."

"That makes sense," Jake said. "I don't have honey. I usually mix mine with fruit, but I also have cinnamon and brown sugar."

Cassandra smiled back at his thoughtfulness. "Sounds great."

Together they got dinner ready, joking and laughing easily with one another.

The meal was better than delicious. While Jake broiled the steaks in the oven, Cassandra steamed some green beans and zucchini and served them over white rice. Jake even got out a bottle of red wine they could share, instead of the beer she assumed he'd been planning on drinking. To an outsider it would undoubtedly look like a date, but Cassandra did her best to remind herself that Jake was just a co-worker, a friend.

After dinner and cleaning up, Jake got an extra pillow and blanket for her and laid them on the couch while Cassandra dug around through her bag for her sweatpants and heavy socks.

"You mind if I sit out on your balcony for a little while?"

"It's pretty cold out."

"I know, but I like looking at the stars," she said, putting a wool cap on and wrapping a scarf around her neck. "All those pinkpricks of light. So beautiful." She smiled brightly and Jake merely gave her a "be my guest" motion with his arm indicating the sliding glass door. She took the blanket and her glass of wine to stay warm.

* * *

For nearly an hour Jacob tried reading a book on the Romanovs of the late nineteenth century, but he could hardly get past the first chapter. His mind was out on the balcony with Cassie. Finally he closed the book and went to the kitchen to boil water. He set out some hot chocolate packets, then went to his room to find a heavier sweatshirt and sweatpants. Once he was dressed, he pulled out two mugs and filled them with the hot chocolate.

"Mind some company?" he asked as he opened the balcony door.

"No, not all," Cassie said, accepting the mug. She took a sip and sighed in comfort. "Mmm, thank you. This hits the spot."

"You enjoying yourself?"

"Mm-hmm. You've got a great view in this direction. And no trees at all. Can't do much about the lights, but it's better than what we have at our place."

"Might even be better if we sat on the roof."

Cassie's eyes widened to saucers. "We can go on the roof?!"

"Sure. Landlord gave me a key."

Cassie scrambled out of the blanket and lawn chair. "What are waiting for? C'mon!"

Jacob made a quick stop in the kitchen to fill a thermos with the rest of the hot chocolate and told Cassie to get another pillow and blanket out of his bedroom. Then they climbed two flights of stairs up to the roof and gazed up at a diamond-littered sky.

After they got one blanket laid out on the roof and had settled themselves under the second one, Cassie put her hands beneath her head and sighed with contentment.

"Isn't God's handiwork beautiful?"

Jacob looked over at her smiling face, full of life and wonder and awe. "Yep, it sure is."

"Ouch. That hurt." She brought her arm down and started rubbing it.

"You okay?" Jake asked. "Did a nail poke you?"

"No, just a bee sting."

"Cassie?" He touched her arm to get her attention. "There are no bees now."

"Oh, I know. Sorry. I was looking up at the constellation Cephus, and thinking of Katherine Swan Leavitt who did calculations on the Cepheid stars, and well, her name reminded me of _Swan Lake_ , and there are some violin parts that sound a bit like bees buzzing. It's funny, the first time I was ever stung by a bee, my dad was teaching me about geometric sequences. The Fibonacci sequence is the most famous, you know."

"I didn't."

She kept talking a little longer, recalling memories from her past. Jacob kept an eye on her, worrying one of the memories would cause a tailspin. But she didn't lose control. She just talked. Non-stop, of course, but he was able to keep up.

He relaxed and looked up at the sky. Was that a shooting star? Without thinking he made a wish. _I wish...I wish that tumor wasn't gonna kill her someday._

"Sometimes I wonder how the constellations got their names. How did early peoples think the big and little dippers looked like bears?"

"I actually know the answer to that one." Jacob said, pouring her another cup of hot chocolate while he talked about how early man passed on their oral traditions with the help of the stars.

If not for the temperature they might have fallen asleep out there under God's beauty. When they could hear each others' teeth chattering, they decided to call it a night.

They gathered up their things and went inside. Jacob told Cassandra he was gonna go down to the laundry room and warm up the blankets in the dryer for a few minutes. She took the pillows with her back to his apartment.

When he got back, Cassandra was already sleeping, curled up in a ball on his sofa. He'd been afraid of this. Of her breaking through the ice he was using to protect himself. And yet--he cocked his head and spread a blanket over her--tonight was good. He'd gotten to know her a little better, and she'd respectfully left his past unquestioned and untouched. Whatever his feelings for her, Jacob felt a lot better about being able to work with Cassandra, and be her friend too.

And who knows? Maybe someday he'd be able to trust her with everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that Flynn actually returns later in the season in "Apple of Discord"; however, I figured if I made Eve and Flynn try to keep their relationship a secret, then he could possibly come back earlier just to meet her, and they could still behave in front of everyone else as if they hadn't seen each other since he originally left. It doesn't work completely, but enough for me to explore a little Jake/Cassie pre-ship. ;)
> 
> Oh, and I know the end was abrupt. Sorry. I'm thinking of more for this ship, I'm just trying to keep it in line with eps for now.


	2. Melting the Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A steamy Jassandra love scene. Might have to bump the rating higher just to be safe.

_Crash!_

"Shoot! Ow, ow, ow."

"Cassie," Jacob whispered. The loud noise woke him up instantly. He jumped out of bed and grabbed the baseball bat lying on the floor. "Cassie?" he said a bit louder, nearly tripping on the t-shirt he'd taken off earlier before going to bed.

"Out here. I'm fine." He flipped on the kitchen light and saw her sitting on a stool holding her foot. "Just stubbed my toe. Sorry." She looked up after a moment when all she could hear was him breathing in and out through his nose. "Jacob?"

"You weren't wearing that earlier when you were getting ready for bed." He pointed to her spaghetti strapped tank top and underwear. It was completely different from the long-sleaved sweatshirt and pajama bottoms she'd been wearing before.

Cassandra looked down at herself and blushed deeply. "I, uh... I was just drea-- The blanket you gave me was really, really hot, so I had to get up to get a drink."

"Cassie, I..." He turned around and got a glass from the cabinet, filling it with a few ice cubes and some tap water. He passed it to her then turned his back on her again. "Let me know when you're settled back on the couch, then I'll hit the lights and go back to bed."

"Jake--"

"No, this isn't a good idea." He clenched his teeth. "We work together. We're getting good at that. These things, they always end badly." It was like a mantra for him. "Just go on back to sleep. We'll pretend this didn't happen."

He could hear her getting up from the stool. He shut his eyes tight to keep from looking over his shoulder at her. But her footsteps weren't being muted by the living room carpet. She was crossing the linoleum kitchen floor toward him. He shut his eyes tighter. "Cassie, don't..."

"Pretend what didn't happen?" she asked.

"Me seeing you half-naked," he replied, eyes shut, breathing staggered, arms crossed over his abdomen.

"You know what the problem is with pretending?" she said. "It always makes the imagination run wild."

"I can keep it under control." He tightened his crossed arms, his hands were begging to reach out to her. "You should try too. Please, Cassie."

Jacob knew she was gonna touch him. He knew it and tried to prepare for it. Maybe a kiss to the cheek to show her intent, or her hands on his shoulders to try to get him to relax. He took another deep breath to steady himself.

* * *

Cassandra desperately wanted to touch him, hold him. Anything to get Jake to relax, to just listen to her. It was obvious they both liked each other, that they both found one another attractive. If he was able to keep things separated, why not simply explore this? She knew she was slowly earning back his trust. Bit by bit, day by day. She didn't need all of it at once. She knew it was a process. Was he really that afraid of being intimate with her?

All of a sudden, as she realized that he'd been truly asking her to stop, asking her to just let it go, she knew she couldn't force this on him. If he wasn't ready to face their mutual attraction, it wasn't fair of her to push the issue.

"I'm sorry." She just briefly touched her fingertips to his arm crossed over his stomach, then lifted her hand away. "I shouldn't push. I was raised better than that too."

She'd turned to walk back to the living room, when Jake grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him. He wrapped one arm around her waist and brought the other one up to cup her face. Maybe he'd meant to kiss her immediately, roughly; but whatever hardness she expected to see in his eyes was actually more like...relief. They stood there a moment, just looking at one another, neither wanting to break this silent magic spell. Then at last, he seemed to figure out whatever it was he was trying to figure out. He brushed her hair back and brought their lips together for a warm, beautiful kiss. The kind that stars are born from. The kind that makes you think of springtime and meadows of wildflowers.

Cassandra leaned closer into him, cradled by his arms and legs. When his tongue slid against the seam of her lips, she opened for him, accepting him in, taking what he was giving and giving back to him as well. With some guys, kisses like this had felt like dueling, as if the two participants were fighting for the upper hand. With Jake it was more like...it was more like dancing. He led her through a few steps and then paused, let the two of them breathe, let them look at each other and stroke each other's hair. Then he let her lead him through the next set of dance steps.

They continued that way for many minutes, leaning against Jake's kitchen counter, rubbing their hands up and down each other's arms and backs. At some point Cassandra had both her hands on Jake's head, massaging his neck and scalp. She almost didn't register the feeling of his hands making their way down to her butt, cupping a cheek in each hand, squeezing and rubbing firmly. She rerouted some of her attention from Jake's hair and mouth to his hands doing marvelous things down south, and to his knees, just barely widening her stance, inch by inch.

"Oh boy," he said suddenly. "Mama raised a gentleman, mama raised a gentleman."

Cassandra smiled to herself as this gorgeous man in front of her tried to chant a "slamming on the brakes" spell.

"Ssh, Jake," she whispered. "Your mama did raise a gentleman." She tilted his head up with her finger. "And a gentleman finishes what he starts. Especially if the lady is willing." She gave him a reassuring smile.

Jake practically leered back at her. "Problem is, I don't just wanna finish it. I wanna finish you off on every surface of this apartment."

Cassandra's eyes widened. "You're just trying to shock me."

"What I'm trying to do is remember that this is new, and wonderful, and precious. I'm trying to remember that..."

She raked her fingers through Jake's hair. "I promise not to break."

He nodded back at her, meeting her lips in more kisses.

* * *

This _was_ new, _and_ wonderful, _and_ precious. Being with a woman who knew one of his deepest secrets. Who knew what his innermost passions were. And yet, she knew nothing of his past. Nothing of the reasons and justifications he'd made for keeping his truest self a secret from everyone he'd ever known. Cassandra's betrayal had kept her from learning about all of him. Jacob couldn't trust her after that betrayal, but they had to work together. So, if she got to know about his love of art and history, of books and poetry and language and myths, then she wouldn't get to know about his life before the Library. That was the separation he'd needed. That was the separation that had made it easier to work with her, to learn to trust her again if she deserved it.

Jacob pressed more kisses against her lips and throat and neck, scooping her up like a doll and carrying her to his room. A room that, months ago, he never thought she'd ever see. Was this too soon?

He sat her down on the edge of the bed. A little light from the street lamp outside threw a mix of shadows over her face and body.

"Cassie, I gotta be honest with you. I still don't know if I completely trust you yet." He took a deep breath and sat down next to her. "If that makes it hard for you to be with me, I understand. But I want to be with you, I want to trust you again. Fully. I think I'm getting there. More and more." She took one of his hands in hers. He squeezed her hand back in comfort. "It's just that you stopped before. You stopped pushing. And I want to give you that same chance. If you want to wait. If you want the whole package, I understand."

After three of the longest seconds of his life, Cassie finally spoke up, "First of all, this isn't some kind of test, is it? Like if I say I do want to sleep with you, you're not going to turn around and think that it's because I don't care about your trust and your feelings, just your body?"

"God, no, Cassie!" Jacob replied. "I know you care about me. The moment you stopped pushing before. The physical attraction is there, but I do know you care about the whole me, too."

"Okay." Cassie let out a relieved breath. "That's good. Because secondly, I do want to sleep with you. I-- okay, just, here goes. I'm in love with you. And I know it's not a crush or an infatuation or lust because... because I made this selfish decision in an effort to have a chance at a future with you, and I've regretted it ever since. Instead of giving me a chance at that, all it did was guarantee I would get _no_ future with you at all." Cassie squeezed his hand a little tighter. "I don't need your trust to love you. I already love you, all of you, without knowing all your secrets, without knowing the parts you can't share with me. And if this is the only part you can give me--your attraction for me, your caring--I'll take that. I'd like that."

With that, Jacob took her face and kissed her, hard, tumbling her backward on his bed. "Oh, Cassie, I want you so bad. Someday. I'll get there. I'll trust you and we'll get there, Cassie. But, please. Let me have you tonight."

"Mm-hmm. C'mere, Jake."

* * *

Cassandra spread her legs a little and she could feel his arousal pressing into her as they fell on the bed. He rolled over then and she feared he was going to back out. _Again._ But thankfully, he was just removing his sleep pants and boxers. Cassandra did her best to contain her reaction, but despite her efforts she was probably sporting a look of utter shock.

As he crawled back over her body, she whispered, "You should thank your lucky stars I'm so wet for you." He drew back and gave her a shocked look of his own. "Well, you're just so big, I doubt you'd fit otherwise."

"Tight's good. I like tight." Then he smiled and nuzzled Cassandra's neck, pulling her tank top up and over her head.

Cassandra tried to resist the urge to cover herself. Her breasts were small, nothing to write home about. Other guys had said as much to her. But Jake didn't seem to mind in the least. He genuinely seemed to like kissing and touching them, licking her nipples and teasing them into sharp peaks. Cassandra sighed in pleasure. Maybe it wouldn't go badly this time... And then the various sex smells and sensations flooded her synapses, and the memories came tumbling back. She bit down on her lip to keep from blurting everything out, but it was too late.

 _Too small, too weird, too crazy. First time._ "Brandon Smith. Said my boobs were too small. Didn't bother touching me. Lasted four minutes. And it hurt." _Pretty bad._

"Cassandra," Jake said. He sounded worried.

"Next was..." She bit down on her lip again, trying to control herself. "He freaked out when I went into a spell. Still hurt." _It always hurt._

"Ssh, Cassie," Jake was cooing. "No one's gonna hurt you." He smoothed her hair and kissed her forehead and cheeks. "Think of a color, Cass," he offered. "Something soothing--"

Cassandra looked from where she was staring at the ceiling into Jacob's eyes. "Blue," she said. "You're blue. A deep blue like the ocean. Not near the shore, but out to sea. Where the waves roll gently." She rubbed her hands through his hair and kissed him with a sigh. "You're blue."

Jacob lifted his head and smiled down at her. "You okay now? We can stop if you'd rath--"

Cassie just grabbed him and pulled him down on top of her. "I want this. I really do." She let one hand slide down his back and grab his ass, hoping to encourage him further.

"Don't need to tell me twice," Jake said as he moved lower and continued kissing her breasts. He blew across a wet nipple while massaging the other with the heel of his hand. So much for being worried that he wouldn't like her body, but she had to get him to move on. She needed him inside her.

She lifted her hips and tried to pull off her soaked underwear, but Jake had her pinned in place. "Let me, Cassie." He leaned back on his knees and removed the last barrier between them. Then he bent low and pressed kisses to the insides of her legs, exerting the slightest pressure to get her to open to him. His kisses went higher and higher until he was nose deep in her sex, alternately licking and sucking. There was no stopping it; Cassandra was going to come on his face in a matter of moments. The pleasure was exquisite. She concentrated on taking deep breaths, though when Jake's thumb pressed on her clit, she couldn't help but gasp. The next time he did it, she tried to stifle the scream by bringing a pillow to her face. That earned her a chuckle emanating from somewhere between her legs.

"Don't be embarrassed, Cassie." He reached up and placed a kiss to her navel while shoving the pillow aside. "Screaming lets me know if I'm doin' it right."

"Oh, you're doing it right," she whimpered. "I don't think you could do it wrong if you tried." He flicked her clit a little faster. "God, Jake, please...please."

His lips abandoned her stomach and traveled back to her breasts. He licked and sucked at her nipples while his fingers played her clit at a relentless pace. Cassandra held her breath and clenched. She didn't realize Jake had gotten up until she felt the bed dip again with his weight.

Jake rolled a condom on easily and slid into her, groaning his appreciation. "God, Cassie, you weren't kidding. You're so tight, it feels like you're sucking on me."

She felt out of breath and exhilarated at the same time. She rubbed her hands up and down Jake's arms and over his shoulders. "Come on. Take me for another ride."

He began moving inside her, thrusting deep, then pulling out slowly. Cassandra did her best to match his rhythm, but then he'd wriggle his hips and she'd lose it. After a while she just gave up and let the sensations wash over her. She hugged Jake close to her, wrapping her arms and legs around him as he pounded into her.

Soon she noticed his breathing becoming more and more ragged. They separated a bit so he could reach in and press on her clit. It did the trick, sending her into another blinding orgasm. She let her arms and legs fall spread eagle on the bed as Jake fell half on top of her, practically cradled in the crook of her neck.

Sometime later, Jake got up to remove the condom. He came back from the kitchen with a warm washcloth and rinsed her off gingerly.

"You're green," Jake said after he dropped the cloth on the floor and helped arrange them in bed under the covers. He pulled Cassandra close to him and breathed in deeply. "You're springtime, and grass growing, and trees blooming. We get extreme hot and cold in the summers and winters in Oklahoma, so a warm springtime is a blessing. My favorite." He kissed her hair and relaxed. "You're green for me."

Through the emotional and physical exhaustion, Cassandra suddenly remembered that she'd told him she loved him. That she could love him without having his trust, without having all of him. While that was true, she still hoped that one day they would get there, like he'd said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure about this ending. My whole motivation for this series in general was to write missing scenes that would fit in and between the episodes like puzzle pieces. Obviously this strains the confines of my arbitrary limits. But, I still like this. I totally ship these two and I want to acknowledge Jacob's trust issues without sweeping them under the rug.
> 
> Oh, what the heck! I basically wanted to write a love scene. 'Nuff said. ;)


	3. The Morning After Routine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after...

Jacob woke to bright sunlight on his face and the sound of the shower running down the hall, both somewhat odd occurrences. For one, as an early bird he was usually up just before or as the sun was rising. And two, the last time he'd had a girl in his shower was when he'd been living with Lizzie, his fiance. So yeah, this was definitely starting out to be a weird morning.

He stretched his arms high above his head and yawned loudly, remembering how good it felt being with Cassandra the night before and holding her close as he fell asleep. He sat up and scrubbed his hands over his face and hair. The morning after routine was next. Figuring out if the two of them were on the same page. Which made Jacob wonder, _what page am I even on?_

As he was thinking, the shower shut off. Cassie would be done getting ready soon.

Breakfast. _I'll just figure it out during breakfast._ He threw on some pants and a t-shirt and went out into the kitchen. Gathering breakfast stuff out of the pantry and refrigerator, he started thinking about what he wanted.

A relationship? Casual sex with a friend? Nothing? -- _Do I regret this?_  But he didn't, he was sure of it. The sex had been great. She'd been so open and honest with him. Jacob cracked a couple eggs and started whisking them harder than necessary. Crap. _She loves you and you still don't trust her. What the hell is wrong with you, man?_ His mind was using that voice he used on Jones a lot of the time.

But Jacob didn't have an answer. It was just...complicated. Something ingrained deep in himself. Always having the people in his life choose themselves over him. He was so afraid that Cassandra would turn out like all the rest of them. People were just selfish. It was human nature. Nothing more. So yeah, he didn't regret his decision last night. But he'd try not to hold it against her if Cassie did. He completely understood the need to trust the person you were with. So as he continued to cook breakfast, he decided to follow her lead. However she felt the morning after should go, he'd understand.

"Is that bacon?" The girl in question opened the bathroom door and inhaled deeply. "There's just something about the smell of bacon. Always perks you up, you know?"

Jacob looked up at her and nodded. She was dressed in dark blue tights, a blue and white polka dot skirt, a simple white blouse, and her usual light blue cardigan. She'd dried her hair just long enough to get it from sopping wet to slightly damp; it was curling softly and naturally on its own. She was lovely and he waved her over so he wouldn't be caught staring. "You mind stirring the oatmeal while I get in the bathroom for a minute?"

"Sure." They brushed fingers for a second as she took the spoon Jake was using. The warmth of her hand was palpable and he nearly forgot why he had to leave--his insistent bladder reminded him, though. As he started to walk away, she asked, "Do you want me to flip the bacon too?"

"It should be fine. But if I'm not back in three minutes, go ahead and flip them."

"Gotcha." She nodded and continued stirring the oatmeal.

He wasn't going to take long in the bathroom. He just needed to pee and brush away his morning breath. He could always shower later. Jake took a final look in the mirror and combed his fingers through his hair.

As he stepped back into the kitchen he could hear Cassie mumbling. "175, 176, 177..." She was stirring the oatmeal with one hand, and had a fork in the other, ready to flip the bacon. It was really adorable.

He came up beside her and closed his hand around the fork right when she said 180. "I got this." He smiled at her and flipped the bacon. Then without really meaning to, he leaned close and gave her a brief kiss on the lips. As he leaned back, he noticed her smiling and felt a hundred times more comfortable about the whole thing.

"Do I need to be sorry?" he asked. "I mean, you seem good, I just--"

Cassie shook her head. "Thank you for the kiss." Her smile only grew wider. "The morning after is always really rough."

"Isn't it though?" He kept an eye on the bacon as he scrambled the eggs a bit. They finished getting breakfast together, finding cinnamon and sugar for the oatmeal and ketchup for the eggs.

"So, from what I can tell," Cassandra was later saying around a mouthful of oatmeal as they sat on stools at the counter, "you don't seem to regret last night."

Jacob finished chewing his eggs and washed it down with some orange juice. "Nope. I would normally have taken you out to dinner and been up front about wanting to sleep with you, but last night was really great."

"You did cook dinner for me."

"True. But that was for my friend." He gave her a warm smile. "I don't regret last night, and I won't be pretending it never happened." He pushed some food around with his fork waiting for her to respond. "You?"

Cassie was stirring her oatmeal. "I don't think I could ever pretend that I didn't just have the best sex of my life." She looked up and immediately blushed. "Didn't quite mean to say all that out loud."

Jacob grinned, feeling proud as a peacock. "That good, huh? Never had that said to me before."

"That is a lie a mile long, Jacob Stone." Cassie shot him a look and laughed. "I bet you've never left a girl wanting more."

He just cocked his head and reached for a slice of her bacon. "Maybe." Jacob lifted his eyebrows and bit down on the bacon, grinning like an idiot the entire time, and Cassie told him so.

"You're an idiot."

"An idiot with a 190 I.Q. And you love it."

"I do, so help me." She leaned close and kissed him.

Cassandra's mouth was sugary sweet from her oatmeal and it mingled with the smoked bacon flavor in his mouth. It was much more intoxicating than it should have been. Jacob reached out for her hands and guided her into his lap. She sat him astride, holding onto the back of the stool with one hand for balance and sifting her other hand through his hair. She was so sensual, sweeping her tongue around his mouth, pausing for breath here and there, then diving in for more. And he loved the feeling of her hands in his hair.

Jacob had his arms wrapped around her waist, keeping her stable in his lap, but he wanted to feel her warm skin again. He pulled at her blouse and untucked it from her skirt, skating one hand up her back while the other coasted along her arm. It settled at her waist where he tugged a bit more on her blouse in order to rest his hand on her ribcage, his thumb gliding back and forth over her silky skin. She stopped kissing him then and leaned her forehead against his.

"Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we leave the dishes for a while and go back to bed?"

Jake lifted his head and kissed her open mouth. "You read my mind, darlin'."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy to say that this series is finally back in order. Sorry for any confusion, and thanks for reading. :)


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